Kendall County Times

City of Yorkville Public Library Board of Trustees met Feb. 12.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by President Theron Garcia, roll was called and a quorum was established.

Roll Call:

Rosie Millen-yes, Tara Schumacher-yes, Keri Pesola-yes, Jackie Milschewski-yes, Ryan Forristall-yes, Theron Garcia-yes, Bret Reifsteck (7:01pm)

Absent: Jason Hedman

Others Present:

Library Director Shelley Augustine, Director of Adult Services Mike Curtis, Friends of the Library President Kathi Murphy, Mike Krempski, Jordan Walz, Betty Ross, Tom Ross, Elaine Block, Heidi Bolanos, Rachel Valchek

Recognition of Visitors: Ms. Garcia recognized the Library staff and guests.

Amendments to the Agenda: None

Presentation:

Mike Curtis made an introduction regarding the English Language Learner classes which have been held at the library with the assistance of several volunteers. He said no other library in the county offers these types of classes. He saw the need in the community and at the same time, he was approached by volunteer Betty Ross about the idea of such a program which then stated January 2023. It started with 4 students and in 12 months, there have been 36 students, 12 volunteers and there are now 7 class sessions 5 days a week. Because of the generous donation of time, the volunteers were presented with a certificate of appreciation by President Garcia.

Minutes: January 8, 2024

A motion was made by Ms. Garcia and seconded by Ms. Milschewski to approve the minutes as presented. Roll call: Reifsteck-yes, Schumacher-yes, Pesola-yes, Milschewski-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Millen-yes. Carried 7-0.

Correspondence:

Ms. Augustine noted that in the agenda packet, there is a letter from the Secretary of State regarding the Public Act “Right to Read” legislation. Also, 300 Valentine's Day cards for seniors were dropped off at the library for State Senator Sue Rezin's card project. The library is the only public building in Kendall County designated as a drop-off spot.

Public Comment: None

Friends of the Library Report:

Ms. Murphy said the mini-golf held on February 4th had 830 attendees and made $7,420. Ms. Augustine noted that some money was spent this year for repairs and construction on the golf holes and putters were purchased and won't need to be borrowed each year. She also commented that the lines were not as long since the event was open an hour longer than usual and possibly due to nice weather/fewer people attending.

Staff Comment: None

Report of the Treasurer:

Financial Statement & Payment of Bills

Ms. Milschewski made a motion to pay the bills and Ms. Garcia seconded.

$25,195.79 Accounts Payable

$35,444.13 Payroll

$60,639.92 Total

Roll call: Schumacher-yes, Pesola-yes, Milschewski-yes, Forristall-yes, Garcia-yes, Millen-yes, Reifsteck-yes. Carried 7-0.

Report of the Library Director:

Ms. Augustine reported the winter reading challenge ends February 29th, a community art project/mosaic is being done for the lobby and a 4-part Fox River Hidden Gem program started in January. The Library Road Trip will be held again starting in March and Friends of the Library will be paying for the handouts for this activity. Ms. Augustine noted that she signed a witness slip for a Senate Bill which amends the Illinois Library Act and raises the amount to $35,000 from $25,000—the threshold amount when bids are needed.

City Council Liaison: None

Standing Committees:

Finance

Treasurer Milschewski reported the Finance Committee, City Finance Director and Ms. Augustine met February 7th to discuss next year's budget. The property tax amount is projected to be $995,347, compared to last year's amount of $899,000. Upcoming projects were discussed and the estimated amount for these is $1,800,000. Mr. Fredrickson said the library Fund Balance is healthy. This budget will be approved at next month's Board meeting.

Unfinished Business:

HVAC Update/Chiller Replacement Update

Director Augustine reported the library was closed 2 days due to extreme cold in January, in accordance with the Emergency Preparedness Policy. There was a patron complaint and Ms. Augustine shared the library policy with them. The library opened on a delayed basis on January 15th due to the wind chill and when staff arrived, the temperature in the library was 55 degrees. Trico was called and inspected the HVAC system and had to turn off the water main. It took 3 days to stabilize the library temperature. There were 2 water pipe breaks which were repaired. Because of that, a new thermostat was installed and Ms. Augustine receives alerts at her home if the temperature drops excessively. Trico will send a quote for supplemental heat and air for the meeting room.

Ms. Augustine said she expects the engineering study for the chiller in early March.

New Business:

Strategic Plan Timeline

The Director said the first meeting was held on January 30th with the full-time staff and Trustees Garcia and Millen. The timeline was discussed and the community survey which is in the second draft, will be discussed later this week. The live survey is slated to be ready on February 26th through March 31st. It can be done on line, on paper, through a QR code and on the city water bill with a link on the website. Mr. Reifsteck asked if The Record would publish it. It will be sent to them and also to WSPY. Ms. Augustine noted that a 1% return is considered acceptable. The requested Library trends research is being worked on and the consultant will be attending the April Board meeting via Zoom. A one-hour meeting with staff will also be done that day. Focus groups and one-on-one interviews will be done to see how the library can grow. When all this data is collected, a large Learning Report will be compiled and the consultant will meet with the planning team and retreat sessions will be scheduled. The Board retreat will be on Saturday, June 1st and will be a 3-hour session. It will be a special meeting and strategies will be planned. The staff retreat is on Friday, May 31 and Ms. Augustine will request the library be closed that day as an in-service day, half for the Strategic Plan and half as a training day. After retreats, the planning team will review the Plan outline in June/July and then a Plan will be developed with presentation by the consultant in July/August. Goals will be done in August/September.

Executive Session: None

Adjournment:

There was no further business and the meeting adjourned at 7:36pm.